Grain-elevator.



No. 722,788. PATENTED MAR. 17, 1903. J P.'WHITE.

GRAIN ELEVATOR.

APPLICATION FILED 113m 26, 1902.

2 SHEBTS-SHEET 1.

N0 MODEL.

PATENTED MAR. 17, 1903.

J. 1?. WHITE.

GRAIN ELEVATOR.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 26, 1902.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

N0 MODEL.

E I E g UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN F. WHITE, OF RAOINE, WISCONSIN.

G RAlN-ELEVATO R.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 722,788, dated March17, 1903. Application filed July 26, 1902. Serial No. 117,072. (Nomodel.)

To all whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JOHN F. WHITE, a citizen of the United States ofAmerica, residing at Racine, in the county of Racine and State ofWisconsin, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inGrain-Elevators, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to certain new and useful improvements ingrain-elevators, the object of which is to produce a device forunloading grains, both small and large, also vegetables and other likecommodities from wagons and other receptacles and elevating or carryingthem to suitable storage-receptacles.

To such end my invention relates to certain novel features ofconstruction and arrangement, a description of which will be found inthe following specification and the essential features more definitelypointed out in the claims.

In the drawings furnished herewith, Figure l is a side elevation of theelevator, the central portion of the conveyer being broken away topermit the view to be as large as possible upon the sheet; Fig. 2 is atransverse vertical section through the drag, the line of section beingindicated by 2 2 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a detail vertical longitudinalsection through the drag and conveyer, the end portions being brokenaway and the line of section being indicated at 3 3 in Fig. 4. Fig. 4 isa plan view of the parts as seen in Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a perspective viewof the drag, and Fig. 6 is a detail cross-section in the line 6 6 ofFig. 1.

In the views, A represents the drag, and B the conveyor proper. The dragis hinged to the conveyer by means of a shaft 0 to permit the drag to beswung upward into the position indicated by the dotted lines in Figs. 1and 3, so that a wagon may be driven past the same instead of having toback the wagon up to it. Although this elevator can be used inconnection with an ordinary wagon adapted to dump its contents into thebox, yet the device has been designed to operate in conjunction with awagon having my improved end-gate (shown and described in an applicationfor Letters Patent filed by me on the 1st day of July, 1902, andallotted Serial No. 113,909) and in connection with a wagon-jack board Aor other device adapted to raise up the front end of the wagon, so thatthe contents may run out freely, the end-gate forming a chute or guidefor the How of grain.

The drag is in the form of a rectangular box a, one end of which, a,extends down below the bottom of the box to form a leg for supportingthe free end of the drag. Within this rectangular box or frame is afalse bottom or platform a around which runs a conveyer-chain a havingthe usual flights or con'veyer-wings a for carrying the material dumpedupon the platform toward the con: veyer proper. This chain passes aroundpulleys c c, the pulley 0 being upon the shaft 0 and driven by thesprocket 0 which is connected to a sprocket d by a sprocket-chain 0 (SeeFig. 1.) 'Upon the rectangular frame are supported two guide-boards A Athe guide-board A extending the whole length of the drag and theguide-board A being made in two pieces a a, connected together by apiece of strap-iron a (See Fig. 5.) The guide-board A is held in placeby means of the leg a and three yoke-shaped supports a a a secured uponthe sides of the drag, and the guide-board A is similarly supported, butis capable of slight longitudinal movement with respect to the body ofthe drag, so that when a wagon has been driven in position in front ofthe drag the side board A may be adjusted to receive the end of thewagon.' The inner edges of the two pieces a a, of the side board A areprovided with rubber strips 00 so as to make a tight fit between theend-gate and the drag to prevent the spilling of any grain in flowingfrom the wagon to the same. The connecting-strip 0. is turned up at theend to form a finger a which is adapted to strike the support a when thedrag is upended, so as to prevent the side board A from dropping intothe conveyor proper. The connectingstrip is best seen in Fig. 5, whichshows it passing down the outer edge of the board a along the under sideof the same, extending across the top of the side board a of the drag,and under the board a of the sliding side It is secured to both boardsby screwing it thereto or in any other suitable manner. It will bereadily understood that these side boards may be interchanged when it isdesired to dump the wagon upon the other side of the drag. Theconveyor-chain a is provided with a suitable tightening device a fortaking up the slack in the same, as is clearly indicated in Fig. 1. Thedrag is also provided with a bottom a, adapted to receive any grain theconveyor-chain a may carry back into the drag. This will of courseaccumulate on the bottom until some time when the drag is upended, whenit will fall into a portion of the conveyor proper and be raised ordelivered with the other material.

The conveyor proper, B, consists of a plat form I) and side boardsforming the trough through which the grain is carried. At the bottom ofthe conveyor proper is a receivinghopper formed by the side boards andby a curved bottom b into which the grain flows from the conveyor-chaina of the drag. As shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the side boards are providedwith extensions b to prevent any spilling of the grain at this point.Below the side boards b are supported two guide-boards b 6 adapted tocarry the flights from the conveyor-chain of the conveyor proper toprevent the sagging of the chain and consequent friction.

The shaft D may be driven by any suitable power, either horse ormechanical, and said shaft extends through the conveyer and carrieswithin the same a pair of sprocket-wheels d, around which pass twoconveyor-ch ains 61 which are connected by transversely-extendingflights 01 The chains 01 run upon guidestrips b, and the flights aresecured to said conveyor-chains about midway between their side edges,so that the pull upon said flights will be even and there will be notendency to tilt in carrying the grain up the conveyor. The ends ofthese flights are consequently notched out, as seen in Fig. 6, to permitthe lower edges of them to project to the platform I) of the conveyor.The conveyor-chain d passes around sprocket-wheels at the upper end ofthe conveyor, and suitable tightening mechanisms d are provided to takeup the excess slack of the chains. The shafts O D are surrounded bylarge hubs or collars 0 d forming continuations of the platforms a 11',around which the flights or d pass. The distance between the bottom andthe hub d is such as to permit the flights d to freely pass through itand catch the grain which falls from the drag and carry it up to theplatform I). I have provided a rubber flap E, which is secured to across-bar b of the conveyor, this flap being connected to the bottom ofthe drag by a strap 6 and adapted to close the opening between thebottom of the drag and the hopper of the conveyor when the drag is swungup, as seen in Figs. 1 and 2. This prevents the spilling of any grainwhich may have been drawn in upon the bottom of the drag by the lowerportion of the chain a The peculiar arrangement of the hopper 11preventsany choking up at this point, and by pivoting the drag betweenthe side boards there is no danger of spilling any of the grain at thispoint.

As shown in Figs. 1 and 5, cleats a are provided upon the sides of thedrag, which form stops to position the drag when it is upended. Thesestops engage the extensions 19 of the elevator proper when the drag isupended.

I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent- 1. In a device ofthe class described, the combination with a conveyor-trough having aplatform and raised guide-rails, of a conveyor-chain comprising chainsrunning upon the guide-rails and transverse flights secured to saidchains approximately midway between their edges, a shaft andsprocket-wheels for moving the chains and a hub or roller encircling theshaft and adapted to form a continuation of the platform upon which theadjacent edges of the flights may rest, substantially as described.

2. In a device of the .class described, the combination with an elevatorhaving suitable side portions extending from the bottom of the conveyor,of a drag pivoted within and between the side portions of the conveyorand a flexible strap extending between the adjacent bottom ends of thedrag and con veyor and adapted to make a tight joint between the same,substantially as described.

3. In a device of the class described, the combination with a conveyorand a suitable receiving-trough at one end, of a drag pivoted to saidconveyor within said trough, a suitable conveyor-chain runningin saiddrag, a false bottom upon which the grain is dumped and carried to theconveyer, a real bottom belou the lower bight of the conveyor,

and a flexible connecting member between the trough and the real bottomof the drag, adapted to make a tight joint between the trough and drag,substantially as described.

4. In a drag for elevators, the combination with a rectangular frame,platform and conveyor-chain, of side boards removably secured thereto,one of which has a suitable opening between its ends to accommodate theend-gate of a wagon, substantially as described.

5. In a drag for elevators and the like, the combination with a suitablerectangular frame, platform, and suitably-driven conveyor-chain, of asuitably supported side board composed of two portions (1 a, aconnecting member, a and rubber facings, (1 upon the inner edges of theportions, of, a, substantially as described.

6. In a drag for elevators and the like, the combination with a frameand conveyorchain, of the supports, a a", a a side board, A, thetwo-part side board, A, and suitable means for limiting the movement ofthe two part side board in one direction whereby IIO when the drag isupended, the two-part side boards and having cleats, a, adapted whenboard will be held in proper position with resaid drag is upended toform stops for. supspect to the drag, substantially as described.porting the drag in its upended position, sub- 7. In a device of theclass described, the stantially as described.

combination with a suitable elevator, of a In witness whereof I havehereunto set my drag pivoted thereto, supports, a a, a and hand, atChicago, in the county of Cook and the slidable side boards, A, Aslidably se- State of Illinois, this 12th day of July, A. D.

cured on the drag by said supports, substan- 1902.'

tially as described. JOHN F. WHITE.

8. In a device of the class described, the Witnesses:

CHAS. 0. SHERVEY, RUSSELL WILES.

combination with an elevator having suitable side boards, of a dragpivoted to said side

